INDIA Law and Practice Contributed by: Anuja Tiwari, Mallika Anand, Pranjal Bhattacharya and Antra Shourya, AZB & Partners
• On 23 January 2023, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) notified the “National Green Hydrogen Mission”, which set a target of producing at least 5 MMT of green hydrogen per annum by 2030, with the potential to increase up to 10 MMT. • The MNRE subsequently issued the “Green Hydro- gen Standard for India” on 18 August 2023 and the “Green Hydrogen Certification Scheme of India” on 29 April 2025, with the aim of establishing a stand- ardised and credible framework for the certification of green hydrogen. • On 20 December 2022, the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act 2022 was notified, introducing a “renewable consumption obligation” ‒ under which, “designated consumers” are required to consume a specified percentage of electricity from non-fossil sources as part of their total energy consumption mix. • On 28 June 2023, the government of India notified the “Carbon Credit Trading Scheme 2023”, to pro- vide the framework for establishment of an Indian carbon market and a framework for reducing, sequestering or avoiding greenhouse gas emission across sectors. • On 15 October 2022, the CERC issued the CERC (Connectivity and General Network Access to the Inter-State Transmission System) Regulations 2022 (the “GNA Regulations”) (ie, the “one-nation one-grid one-frequency” regime), which has been subsequently amended and also provides a con- nectivity framework for energy storage systems. • On 9 October 2025, the Ministry of Power intro- duced the Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, which proposes a significant overhaul of the exist- ing Electricity Act. • India has also sought to strengthen its domes- tic renewable energy manufacturing capabilities through the introduction of an approved list of module manufacturers for solar modules and solar cells, as well as a separate list for wind turbines. Incentives and Schemes The following government schemes and incentives promote investment in renewable energy:
• the Scheme for Development of Solar Parks and Ultra-Mega Solar Projects, aimed at developing 40,000 MW of solar capacity; • the Central Public Sector Undertaking Scheme Phase-II, intended to support grid-connected solar projects using domestically manufactured cells and modules; • a PLI scheme for solar modules, which aims to establish a gigawatt-scale domestic manufacturing ecosystem for high-efficiency solar modules; • the PM-KUSUM Scheme, an initiative to promote solar-powered irrigation by supporting the instal- lation of standalone solar pumps and small solar plants; • the Rooftop Solar Programme Phase II, which offers direct subsidies for rooftop solar installation in the residential sector and performance-based incentives to distribution companies; • the Green Energy Corridors initiative, established to create intrastate transmission networks for renew- able energy ensuring efficient evacuation and grid integration; • the National Bio Energy Programme, compromising three sub-schemes – namely, theWaste to Energy Programme, the Biomass Programme, and the Biogas Programme. • waiver of interstate transmission charges for speci- fied renewable energy projects commissioned by 30 June 2025; and • the Sovereign Green Bonds Framework, launched to provide a framework for the raising of funds for public sector projects with environmental benefits. Developments in Conventional Energy Through the Union Budget 2025–26, the Indian gov- ernment has announced the “Nuclear Energy Mis- sion”, with the goal of achieving at least 100 GW of nuclear energy generation by 2047. In order to achieve this target, the Department of Atomic Energy and Niti Ayog have proposed certain amendments to the Atomic Energy Act 1962 (which governs the develop- ment of nuclear plants in India) and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010. The amendments con- template the introduction of private participation in nuclear energy with governmental oversight.
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